NEWSJelly Roll Says He Was 'a Bad Person' in His 30s: 'I'm So Embarrassed'
Country star Jelly Roll said he was 'a bad person' in his 30s.
In a candid revelation, Jelly Roll opened up about his troubled past in a recent interview.
The 38-year-old singer shared his journey from a problematic youth in Antioch, Tenn., to the self-aware individual he is now.
"I was a really horrible kid all the way into my mid-20s," he said during the October 14 episode of Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose Podcast.”
"I look back at those years, Jay, and I'm so embarrassed to talk about them. I was still a bad person in my early 30s," he admitted.
Jelly, whose real name is Jason DeFord, delved into the deep-rooted insecurities he faced growing up.
"I was always a bigger kid," the "Save Me" vocalist, who is married to Bunnie XO, recalled of his weight. "So I had a little chip on my shoulder naturally as a young kid."
Jelly Roll said he was 'embarrased' to talk about his actions in the past.
He recounted a pivotal moment from his youth that resulted in significant consequences.
"I'd gotten into a fight with a kid, and back then they had the chain wallets. When we were wrestling, I grabbed a chain wallet to try to hit him with it, and that was a strong-arm robbery case," he explained, referring to the incident that ended him up in prison for over 20 months at just 13 years old.
Jelly Roll was imprisoned when he was just 13 years old.
Despite turning things around, he isn't proud of his past actions.
"People are always like, 'You're the nicest dude I've ever met.' I'm like, 'I'm so glad y'all haven't met nobody that knew me 20 years ago,'" he shared.
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In a quest for redemption, Jelly hopes to reach out to the victim of his past robbery.
"I have a list of people to apologize to, but I just haven't made it that far down yet," he revealed.
The 'Save Me' singer said he has a 'list of people to apologize to.'
"No matter how old I was, I had no business taking from anybody. Just this entitlement that I had that the world owed me enough that I could come take your stuff. What a horrible, horrible way to look at life and people," he continued.
Jelly Roll has been open about going to jail when he was younger.
Jelly also shared heartfelt memories of his late father, who passed away in 2019. Their bond strengthened after Jelly managed to escape the revolving door of the judicial system.
"Me and him started really getting close and I started leaning on him and we would go to happy hour three or four days a week, every day. And we'd go sit at the same spot at the same bar and the memory and street in Nashville called the Tin Roof from 4 to 6," Jelly recalled.
He also reflected on his mother, who struggled with her mental health.
"There was a 20-year period in my life that I didn't see my mother outside of a nightgown, but maybe twice ever," he recalled. Yet, he noticed that music played a vital role when it comes to her well-being.
"When she seems her healthiest, there's always music playing," he explained. "It got to the point where if she was downstairs with her girlfriend, she'd call me up there to read whatever [song] I wrote."
